Charles white



(No Model.) 0' WHITE RAILROAD RAIL AND WHEEL THEREFOR. No. 410.472. Patented Sept. 3, 1889.

w: I l 77 71 2 Ill!! WIZWESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES \VI'IITE, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

RAILROAD-RAIL AND WHEEL THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,472, dated September 3, 1889.

Serial No. 308,379. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES IVHITE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of \Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Rails and lVheels therefor; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in railroad-rails and wheels therefor, and is adapted more particularly for use on streetcar lines.

In the construction of railroad-rails wherein a smooth groove is provided to receive the flange of the car-wheel and the tread of the wheel runs on the face of the rail certain serious objections have been found to exist. Foremost among these objections is, that considerable power must be expended to cause the car to travel on the rails when laid on an incline, as by reason of the rail being smooth and the wheel also the tendency of the wheel is to slip on the rail. Another objection is, that the groove of the rail frequently becomes filled with dirt, sand, pebbles, or the like, and prevents the flange of the wheel from entering said groove, in consequence of which the cars are frequently thrown from the track or rail.

The object of my invention is to overcome these objections and provide an improved construction of wheel and track which will enable the car to travel on an incline with comparative ease, which will allow of the stopping of the car on the incline, and which will prevent the groove of the rail from be coming clogged by dirt or like obstructions.

lVith these objects in view my invention consists in the improved construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter more fully pointed out and described.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through my improved rail and the wheel therefor on line :20 0c in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same on the vertical plane denoted by line yy in Fig. 1.

Fig. is a perspective view of my improved wheel, and Fig. 4 is a similar view of my improved rail appertaining thereto.

Referring by letter to these drawings, A designates a street-car wheel of any desired construction, having a smooth tread B and flange G. The latter is cut out to form rounded teeth or cogs D, extending from the periphery of the flange inwardly to within a short distance (say about one-quarter of an inch) of the face of the tread,so as to leave a solid annular rim or shoulder 11 between the tread B and the cogged flange G D.

The rail shown atEis of the pattern known as flat-grooved without any part proj ecting above the street-surface. It has a smooth face F, longitudinal groove G,which is adapted to receive the cogged flange ot' the wheel, and provided with transverse ribs H, arranged equidistant from and parallel to one another and adapted to engage the rounded teeth D of the wheel-flange. These transverse groove ribs II are also rounded or beveled in crosssection to permit of the rounded teeth running smoothly on the rail without danger of the teeth binding or catching in the recesses formed in the groove G by and between the equidistant transverse ribs or flanges H. The solid annular shoulder or offset 1) will prevent the edges of. the teeth from cutting that side of the tread of the rail against which the flange bears, and will cause the wheel to run as smooth and evenly as a wheel of the ordinary construction with a solid flange.

It will be seen that when the wheel is traveling on a level rail it will not be hindered in its revolutions, and in that case the teeth will operate to lift the dirt from the groove in the rail; but when said Wheel comes to an incline the teeth will bite against the ribs in the groove of the track and impose the weight of the car on said ribs, allowing the same to be moved with ease on the track, and also allowing the car to be stopped at any place on the track.

The invention possesses many features of merit, among which may be mentioned the ease with which a car can ascend hills or inclines, the dispensing with the horses and attendants, saving the labor and money thus expended, and the preventing of the car becoming derailed from the groove of the rail being clogged with dirt, snow, ice, or other obstructions.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A flanged car-Wheel having a compound flange adjacent to its tread, said flange consisting of a solid annular shoulder b, and rounded teeth or cogs D, forming, With the shoulder b, the flange of the Wheel, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, With the flanged carwheel constructed as described, of the grooved 

